New RI State Police Training Academy to focus on adding more women, people of color

by BILL RAPPLEYE, NBC 10 NEWS

Rhode Island State Police are recruiting for their next Police Training Academy Class, with an emphasis is adding women and people of color to the force. (WJAR)

Rhode Island State Police are recruiting for their next Police Training Academy Class.

It will be held in June 2018, with an emphasis is adding women and people of color to the force.

“My top priority since being appointed as superintendent of the state police has been to hire and promote a gender and racially diverse mix of men and women that reflect the rich ethnic and cultural diversity of our communities,” Col. Ann Assumpico said Wednesday during the announcement of the new academy.

Assumpico pointed out that nearly a third of her promotions since she’s been the head of the state police have been of women and minorities.

In order to further her goal of increasing the diversity of the agency, she said the recruitment process will include sevearal new initiatives.

First, there will be orientation sessions throughout the state to inform potential recruits of what will be expected of them.

Second, there will also be panel discussions with female troopers to answer questions from women who might want to be troopers.

Third, a mentoring program will team up each candidate with an adviser who will help prepare them emotionally and physically for the recruiting process and for the Academy itself.

The mentoring program will be especially helpful, according to Coby Dennis of Providence.

“The community, especially the minority community, doesn’t have doesn’t have many familiar faces when it comes to the state police, or law enforcement -- period," Dennis told NBC 10. "So, we are trying to get more familiar so we have the uncle at the table who has been a law enforcement officer. He can tell us what we’re going to need to do for the recruitment process. “

Col. Assumpico hopes to get 40 to 50 recruits into the Academy and said she will be able to put them all to work right away.

There is no word on whether the state budget is sufficient to hire so many new troopers.

Details on the Academy, as well as the requirements for new recruits, can be found by clicking here.